‘Modi is like Palantir’: Aswath Damodaran maps world leaders as stocks. Trump?

If world leaders were stocks, Donald Trump would be Tesla, volatile and headline-grabbing, while Xi Jinping would resemble a stable but ruthless blue chip, according to NYU finance professor Aswath Damodaran.

In a podcast with NDTV, Damodaran offered a financial-market lens on global power figures, comparing their personas and strategies to stocks.

“Trump is a high-risk, high-volatility stock. He’s Tesla on a global stage,” Damodaran said, drawing a parallel to Elon Musk’s unpredictability. “Two days ago, Elon said Tesla is a robotics company. I thought it was an electric car company.”

In contrast, China’s President Xi Jinping is “a very predictable stock,” Damodaran said—unless challenged. “He’s ruthless about the endgame and will play it through,” he noted, adding that when thinking of China, he’s reminded of Thanos from the Avengers—“with a click of the fingers.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Damodaran said, is the “lead seller” of India’s economic story. “If Modi were a stock, it would be a growth stock like Palantir—lots of potential, but much still has to play out.”

Damodaran, who has authored multiple books on equity valuation and corporate finance, believes Indian equities are overvalued but remain attractive. “It will continue to remain hot for some time,” he said. “If you’re not in India, you’ll be left behind—like not owning Nvidia in the AI boom.”

He also cited regulatory constraints on outbound investments as a reason Indian capital will largely stay onshore, keeping domestic markets buoyant.

On Russia, Damodaran said President Vladimir Putin remains a power center primarily due to military strength. “Putin is a survivor… he doesn’t hide behind politeness, unlike the Chinese. In many ways, he’s easier to read.”